Bad Habits
by purpletheory
Summary: Gatrie had some bad habits. A certain sniper, being one of them.


**A/N: So I love this pairing. I had to write something about them. They so cute. :) Check it out and leave a review?**

**~PP**

* * *

**Bad Habits**

Shinon blew out a breath slowly, and pushed his body down towards the ground once more. "One hundred and fifty."

He could smell the clean earth and he simply held himself there for a moment. Eventually, the archer leaned up from his workout and took a rest. He had been outside the camp for the better part of the morning, and decided that he should give it a rest. There was no use in tiring his body out too much when there could be a battle at any given moment.

He headed towards where he had heard was a hot spring a little ways away from where he was. Taking his time, he bathed, cleansed his long hair, and washed out his sweaty clothes. Then when his pants were significantly dry enough, he slipped them over his hips and lay out on the bank of the steaming pool. The air was cool, but the heat from the water kept the archer from getting too chilled. He breathed deeply; feeling more relaxed than he had in a long while.

Eventually, the redhead got up, intent on finding something to satiate his growling stomach. He gathered his belongings languidly, and tugged on his shirt. He was almost finished dressing when he heard a familiar voice floating towards him through the forest.

"Well, I suppose that's it then. I mean... I guess he is right. But... What about... About... Oh I don't even know how to say it!"

Shinon gave a smirk. It was one of his best friend's bad habits. Talking to himself. The archer quickly leapt into a low hanging branch of a nearby tree, hoping to scare Gatrie. The man came meandering into view, his breastplate and arm guards swinging from one hand. Gatrie always wore a black long-sleeved shirt underneath his armor, and Shinon had no clue as to why the large man had not died from the heat of his outfit yet.

The archer watched in silence as Gatrie carefully placed his blue armor on the ground and began to slowly and methodically divest himself of the rest of the metal. As the blonde man pulled his shirt off, Shinon almost whistled in appreciation. He knew that his friend held incredible strength, but as always, the sight of his physique was impressive. The next words out of Gatrie's mouth made Shinon freeze.

"Oh Shinon..."

Without thinking, Shinon said, "You knew I was here?"

The blonde man scrambled to his feet and gave a hoarse cry. The redhead watched in amusement as the large man tripped over in his haste and fell into the springs. Shinon slowly got down from the tree as the blond knight spluttered in the water. Finally, Gatrie wiped his eyes clear of water and looked up at the archer with a dumbfounded expression.

"How did you know I was here? You have the worst senses of anyone I have ever met!" This was indeed the first time that Gatrie had caught the redhead while he was hiding.

"I-I've been practicing!" The knight's face erupted into a large blush. "So y-you can't scare me anymore!"

Shinon grunted, displeased. He took a couple steps towards the pool and leaned a slender hand down to help the blonde out of the pool; he was still wearing his plants after all.

"It looks like you were scared anyway," the archer said with a smirk. He couldn't help but watch as water streamed down over defined muscles as his friend got to his feet. The knight's pants clung to him. Shinon looked up quickly. Gatrie was still flushed and he wouldn't meet the redhead's gaze.

"I uh, didn't know EXACTLY where you, uh, were..." Shinon laughed at the knight's discomfort, and pushed his shoulder a little. His friend barely moved, but gave a little smile.

"Well congratulations! Very few people have ever caught me."

Gatrie mumbled something and scratched the back of his neck with a huge hand. The archer's eyes shifted to take in the bulging muscle of his arm. Shinon turned around to leave but his friend's deep voice stopped him from going any further.

"I-I didn't k-know that y-y-you were t-there."

Shinon didn't turn around, But sighed. "We should really break you of that stuttering. You're abundant with bad habits." He left the small clearing without another word.

As he made his way back to the camp the archer couldn't help whispering something to no one in particular, "I know."

* * *

Gatrie had cleaned up and washed out his clothes and now sat in the middle of the camp outside the mess tent. He had his blue breastplate over one knee and was polishing the metal furiously. Whenever the large man couldn't make up his mind about something, he worked on his armor.

_Why couldn't he figure Shinon out? The man was infuriating!_

Gatrie made a pouty face. He was a lot of things, but dull was not one of them. Many people in the camp, even the ones that he considered his friends, thought that he was one of the dumbest people in the company. All muscle and no brain.

That wasn't even close to being true. Soren knew that he was sharp and sometimes even asked for his opinion on certain things. The only reason that Soren knew was because the library that the company toted around with them, was the knight's personal collection. He kept it up, and acquired new books, ledgers, tomes. Anything interesting and helpful. In some ways, He was glad that most people thought he was dim witted. People confided in him, and he was trusted. In other ways it was frustrating.

Shinon knew too.

Yet the man had recently been acting like Gatrie couldn't even see the end of his nose!

The blonde let out a low sigh. He loved that damned archer, even though he infuriated him.

Gatrie had picked up on the glances that the man had been giving him lately. If the redhead thought that Gatrie wasn't looking, he would take long looks at him. Gatrie wondered what they meant. But he knew that Shinon felt something for him... He had to...there was no other explanation for the expression on his face when he looked at Gatrie. The large blonde gave another heavy sigh.

"What is with the dramatic breathing?" Soren stood in front of him, his arms full of scrolls.

Gatrie smirked a little. "Oh it's nothing, mister staff officer."

Soren shrugged and was about to continue on when he tripped on the end of his robes, sending him flying towards the ground. Gatrie leapt up and caught the man with one arm, barely. He pulled the black-haired sage close and picked up the few escaped parchments with his free hand. The knight then tried to take a step away from the sage but tripped over his forgotten armor. He toppled over, taking Soren with him. He landed hard on the ground, but managed to keep Soren from harm and the scrolls in his grasp.

He opened his eyes after the impact and saw that Soren was staring at him with wide eyes, obviously shocked by how much velocity he just had in the last three seconds. Gatrie gave a grin and stood slowly, the sage still in his arms.

A tent flap a little ways down from the mess whipped open, and Shinon came through into the sunlight. Gatrie froze when the archer's eyes met his. Gatrie watched in horror as those emerald eyes widened and then narrowed in a flash.

"Shin-" but the man had already took off, almost at a run.

The blonde stood watching him, feeling frustrated. After a few moments he remembered the sage in his arms.

"You can put me down now, Gatrie."

Gatrie gave Soren a tortured look and set him carefully on his feet. He took the rest of the scrolls from the small man's arms and began walking. Soren followed at his elbow.

"Shinon? Really? I know you two are friends but-" the sage cut off when he saw Gatrie's expression. They didn't speak until they got to the wagons. Gatrie had pleaded with the convoy to let him keep his library aboard. He grabbed Soren by the waist and hoisted him into the last wagon and handed him the scrolls.

"How did you know that I was headed here?" Soren asked over his shoulder.

"Oh, I recognized one of the scrolls as one that you had borrowed from me earlier. I assumed you were on your way to return it to its spot," the blonde ran a hand down his face.

Soren poked his head out of the wagon and grabbed his face in two small hands.

"You are the smartest person I know, other than me, of course," Gatrie blushed and thanked him, looking at the ground.

"It is a shame that not many people see this side of you."

Gatrie sighed, "Shinon does."

He heard Soren finish putting the scrolls away and as he came out the blonde grabbed him by the waist again and helped him to the ground.

Soren paused looking up at the large man, "Do you know what really makes you brilliant Gatrie?" The man blushed again and shook his head.

"You always seem to know what people need. You know what people want as well. Gatrie, you are so sweet and gentle. You are brilliant in that way just as much as you are book smart. And, Shinon is an idiot." Gatrie had been smiling, but he stopped and glared at Soren. The sage was smiling though. "He should be able to see that you care about him."

Gatrie mumbled and plopped down on the ground. Finally he spoke up. "I guess you are right about my personable intuition... I'm fairly certain that Shinon knows... At least to some extent of my feelings for him. The infuriating thing is that I catch him looking at me with this... This unguarded look..."

"Shinon? Unguarded?"

Gatrie gave the incredulous sage a dirty look and the small man held up his hands smirking.

"I don't know what that look means. And he seems to be avoiding me during certain times. Heck! He didn't even come to the tent last night."

"Maybe the thought of sleeping near someone who holds affection for him makes him feel uncomfortable." Soren instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing, because Gatrie looked up at him sharply, his face crestfallen.

"Really? You think?"

"Look, Gatrie... That probably isn't it. However, I don't know Shinon well enough to make a call on what is going on through his mind. But, do you know what?"

The blonde looked up at him hopefully.

"You do."

* * *

Shinon angrily left the camp far behind. He was in search of alcohol. He had heard Ike discussing their topographical position to Titania and realized that they were fairly close to a small village. The village couldn't support the host of the mercenary company, and they had seemed rather hostile to them, so Ike had ordered the camp a little ways off. Shinon knew that where there was a village, there was an inn, and where there was an inn, there was alcohol.

His mind went unbidden back to the picture of Gatrie holding that bossy sage in his arms, smiling. The black haired man had his arms looped tightly over his friend's neck and was looking up at him... The archer shook his head violently, long hair whipping around.

It didn't matter to him.

Nevertheless, the image stayed at the forefront of his mind. He made it to the village quickly, at his furious pace, and he found the inn with no issue. He walked in and sat at the bar. There were only a few people there and the woman behind the counter gave him a wary look. Shinon tossed several coins on the wooden tabletop and curtly ordered, "Keep it coming."

The woman took his money without complaint and gave him a pint to begin with. Eventually the sniper had consumed 6 pints of liquor and was no closer to forgetting what he was upset about. Scowling he waved his hand erratically for another glass.

Gatrie finally decided that he should give Shinon his space, and when he had cooled down a little Gatrie could explain how wrong he was... And how much he wanted the redhead in his arms... He sighed and took the tankard of water from Mist as she made her rounds through the mess. It had been several hours since the incident earlier in the afternoon and the sky was darkened, the moon peeking out behind wispy clouds.

"Where has Shinon got to? He owes me one-hundred gold for the bet I wagered against him!" Gatrie looked up to see who was talking. Mia stood there, hands on her hips, glaring around the tent. Before Gatrie could speak up, another voice drawled over his.

"Oh? The redhead? I saw him striding into the forest a few marks before sunset."

Gatrie looked over his shoulder to see the new addition to the troop, a sleepy looking fellow with an eye patch covering his right eye.

"Which direction?" The blonde asked, trying not to let his voice crack.

"South and a tad east I believe."

Gatrie didn't hear Mia's response to this because he was already on his way out. The large man still wore the bottom half of his armor and his arm bracers. He had no weapon but decided to forgo one for the sake of speed. He suddenly remembered what Ike had said about their position. They were fairly close to an Inn...

* * *

He eyed the drunken man with the long red hair. He had striking features, and that hair looked so soft... He nudged his friends and nodded in the inebriated man's direction. They took a moment to look him over and then grinned evilly. The night had suddenly taken a more lively turn.

* * *

Shinon finally stumbled out into the late night air. The sniper could hardly see and wasn't doing a great job with walking. He eventually collapsed just inside the ring of trees that encircled the village. His chin hit the dirt with such force that even in his numbed state, he winced. He tried to roll over but eventually gave up because of the nausea that hit his stomach.

"Well, well, well. Wouldja look at this, boys!" Shinon froze, knowing instinctively that the owner of that voice had less then reputable intentions. He turned his head against the earth and his bleary vision picked out three shapes against the night sky. He heard chuckling and then he was hauled upright by his hair. He cried out in pain and anger.

Nobody touched his hair.

Ever.

He began to kick and fight as best as his inebriated state would allow him. He felt his knee connect with something and heard a crack. Everything froze and Shinon felt his hopes sink. The man holding his hair shook him harshly by it. The redhead cried out. The others began ripping his clothes off of him, punching and hitting him the entire time. The hand in his hair forced him to the ground. Shinon sprawled out on his stomach, heaving breaths and trying not to retch. His head was yanked up again, and a knife nicked his throat.

"You're gonna pay for that, pretty."

Shinon shuddered as he felt large hands scrape down his sides. He felt a rope slip over his neck, and before he could get a finger in between the loop and his skin, it was pulled tight.

He retched and choked.

The redhead stopped struggling when he felt a small knife enter his side and the leader press against him. He could feel the man's erection press against his backside as blood gurgled out of his body. His mind went blank but for one thought, "No. Please."

The sniper closed his eyes and whispered as best as the rope would allow, "Gatrie!"

Suddenly there was a flurry of activity. The body against him disappeared. There were three cracks. One right after the other. Then silence.

Shinon flinched when he felt arms pick him up. He opened his eyes as the rope around his neck was slipped off. His still blurry gaze caught a glimmer of blue and he passed out.

* * *

Gatrie ran as fast as he could. The knight normally couldn't move this fast, but his fear for his friend's safety lent speed to his legs. He could tell that he was nearing the village because he could just make out lantern light through the tree leaves. And then he heard it.

He heard the whimpers and the labored breathing. He sped up and crashed into a scene that he will never forget for as long as he lives. Shinon lay naked on the ground, covered in dirt and bruises. His head was forced up by a cruel hand in his hair.

Nobody touched the sniper's hair.

He went from worried to furious in the span of three seconds. Without skipping a beat, the knight grabbed the man holding the red hair in his filthy hands. He grabbed him by the throat and snapped his neck, throwing him away.

Two more sharp cracks and the other two followed their leader in a broken heap on the ground.

Gatrie turned and gently pulled Shinon into his arms. He began making his way back to the camp, using one arm to hold up the lithe man and the other to ease the rope from his throat. Unfocused Emerald eyes met his for a moment and then they fluttered closed and his head lolled to the side. Gatrie hurriedly checked the man's breathing. Shallow, but steady. He saw the cuts and the marks that the rope had made and dug in his pocket for a healing potion.

Then he felt the warm red liquid flowing against his chest.

He clamped a large hand over the wound and ran.

* * *

Rhys hummed quietly as he organized his staves and healing supplies into separate pouches for easy removal. It was a few marks before midnight. He felt at peace right now, which was amazing seeing as he was a holy man participating in countless deaths of others.

He reveled in the emotion and sang a few bars of the song he had been humming. It wasn't until a few moments later that he heard the commotion outside. The priest had just pulled his tent flap open when a very large, very white-faced knight came rushing through into his tent. Phys fell flat on his back shouting, "Hey!" as he fell.

He got up, twisting his robes back into place and angrily dusting himself off.

"What's the big i-" he stopped short as he watched Gatrie gently lay somebody of an extra cot. Rhys rushed over and saw that it was the surly sniper, Shinon.

"What happened?"

The priest grabbed his staff and began quickly looking over the slim man's body. He gave a soft smile as Gatrie, blushing, covered the unconscious man with a thin blanket.

Rhys assessed Shinon's wounds and quickly whispered a prayer to Ashera before muttering the spell required to heal. Gatrie heaved a huge sigh as skin knit together again and bruises began to disappear. Rhys carefully touched the snipers side where what he assumed was a knife had entered. It looked like it was healed fully, but he knew there was always a possibility that some internal bleeding hadn't been.

"Gatrie?"

The large man jumped at the mention of his name.

"You never told me what happened," Rhys tried gently.

The expression on the blonde's face was heart breaking. He sat down heavily on a cot across from the sniper. Rhys waited patiently as he checked what looked like a bad rope burn on Shinon's neck.

"I-I heard he had left the camp. I t-think he misunderstood something... And he was angry. I figured that he had gone to the inn that's not far from here. H-h-he gets pretty uncoordinated when he gets d-drunk... So I went to find him. B-before I got to town... I... I found him," Rhys came over as Gatrie's head fell into his hands. He sat next to the knight and put a hand on his shoulder.

"R-Rhys... I... He... They... I think they were going to rape him." He finished in a hurry, the words tumbling from his mouth.

"Oh, Gatrie..."

The blue eyed knight crumbled in on himself, tears muddling his voice, "Rhys... Rhys."

The orange-haired man wrapped his arms around broad shoulders and squeezed tight.

"But, you saved him. He is here, with us. Safe and sound."

Gatrie sobbed heavily.

"I killed them, Rhys."

Rhys thought for a moment then gave an uncharacteristic snort.

He chuckled lightly as Gatrie raised his head and looked at him in awed confusion.

"They deserved it for trying to do something like that to someone else."

Gatrie obviously heard the man's hard undertone and didn't say anything else.

After a few moments the priest let go of the knight and went towards Shinon. Gatrie got up and waited for whatever came next.

* * *

Shinon groaned as his mind surfaced from a blissful darkness. His whole body ached and his head pounded even worse. He slowly cracked his eyes open and immediately regretted it. Screwing them shut again, the sniper waited until the wave of nausea passed and opened them again.

The hammering in his head increased and he winced. Shinon had no idea where he was and was slowly gazing around. He was lying in his cot, that much he had gathered. Then he heard a faint mumble. Suddenly he realized that someone had a hold of his hand.

He would have snatched it back if he could move it. It was gripped tightly in a large calloused hand. The hand was almost twice as large as his own slender one. He knew that hand.

Almost as if it were attached to his own arm.

Gatrie sat on the ground next to his cot. His head lay on the edge of it. He muttered something again and shifted, bringing Shinon's hand to his cheek. Shinon grumbled. Why was the big lout doing that?

As he moved into a more comfortable position he turned his head to keep looking at the large blonde man. Suddenly he remembered. Despite his hung-over condition he jerked into a sitting position. The sniper gave a faint cry as his head exploded with pain. He put both of his hands to his temples and pressed. It took him several moments until he realized that his hand had been relinquished. He turned slowly to look at his friend.

Gatrie sat on the ground his hand reached up and supporting Shinon's lower back. Shinon couldn't look at his eyes for more than a second. They were full of something he didn't understand. He remembered. His body ached and his head pounded.

And he knew why.

"Gatrie... What was that with... The staff officer?" Shinon's tongue felt leaden.

To his surprise Gatrie took his hand that wasn't currently rubbing his lower back, and placed it gently on his cheek. The blue-eyed knight slowly moved so that he knelt by the sniper's cot. His face was directly below Shinon's. Shinon flushed and began leaning backward. Gatrie brushed his cheek with his thumb and whispered, "Shi. Shi, you know that I would never."

Shinon looked down, unable to move away from his friend's grip.

"Why did you get so upset, then?"

Shinon glared down at Gatrie. He grabbed the man by his shirt collar and said, "You're such a damn fool."

Gatrie looked confused and was about to say something, but was cut off by the sniper's lips pressing against his mouth. Shinon screwed his eyes shut and pushed harder, his heart thumping wildly and his head still throbbing. Gatrie's hand was forced from his cheek into his hair. The ribbon that held it was loose and Gatrie's fingers slipped into his hair easily.

There was no physical response from the knight and Shinon began to panic, backing away. He shut his eyes. He heard Gatrie blow out a huge breath. The sniper was about to jump off of the small cot and run.

He felt like throwing up and crying at the same time.

Before he could make a move, He felt those familiar hands touching him. Running over him. He felt the tie in his hair slip free. He opened his eyes swiftly, eyeing Gatrie warily. There was a faint smile on his face and he had his tongue peeking out between red lips.

Gently, the knight ran his hands through the sniper's hair.

Shinon hated when other people touched his hair.

This, however, was different.

He shivered a little as Gatrie threaded his fingers into red strands.

Suddenly the man was swept up into a warm embrace. Gatrie had gathered the sniper up and pulled him, blanket and all, down into his lap. Shinon squeaked at the change of position, and grasped the knight's shoulder. Before the sniper could do anything else, Gatrie had firmly pressed his lips against his. The blonde man's kiss was gentle, neither rushed nor hard. Shinon relaxed in his friend's hold and leaned up into the kiss.

Too soon, Gatrie shifted back to look into Shinon's face. The sniper nervously fiddled with the hem of the blanket in his lap, not meeting Gatrie's gaze.

"Shi."

Shinon smiled at the nickname. Only Gatrie could call him that. Emerald eyes meet azure ones.

"S-Shi, y-you... I l-love y-y-you."

* * *

Gatrie could not believe it. Shinon was kissing him.

KISSING.

Earlier, Gatrie had been certain that he would have to convince the sniper of his adoration... And here the man was.

Kissing him.

He didn't do anything, he couldn't. By the time he wrapped his mind around the feeling of those soft lips against his, Shinon had backed away and looked down, his face flushed.

Gatrie smiled slowly. He just realized that his hand had finally touched those silky locks that Shinon kept safeguarded... He let out a huge breath and gently tugged the tie that was holding it back free. He slipped his fingers back into his friend's hair. It felt so good, long strands of red caressing his digits.

Eventually he felt the sniper's eyes on him. He smiled a little before quickly scooping the man up and bringing him down into his lap. Shinon gave an odd squeak, but Gatrie pressed his lips against those ones that had initiated the contact just a moment earlier. Shinon relaxed almost instantly and leaned up into Gatrie's hold. The blue-eyed man leaned back to look into Shinon's face and saw emotions that he rarely ever got to see from the man. He looked nervous and confused. It was rather cute. Gatrie knew that he was one of the only people who ever got to see the sniper like this.

"Shi."

Gatrie remembered calling him that a year ago. As the nickname left his mouth, he was worried that he would get a smack from the sniper, but instead Shinon gave him an amused smile and shrugged. The nickname had stuck. It was apparent that rights to the pet name were only given to the large blonde knight.

Shinon smiled at its use and looked up into blue eyes.

As hard as he tried, Gatrie couldn't stop his stutter from bleeding into his declaration of love. Even as he stuttered out the last syllable, he watched Shinon's face flush and his mouth gape open. Gatrie blushed as well but took advantage of the man's lack of propriety and kissed his open mouth, slipping his tongue in to taste his one and only love. Suddenly Shinon was kissing him just as passionately, and grasping at his arms, trying to bring himself closer. Gatrie slipped his hand back into that red hair and held the back of his head firmly, kissing the sniper senseless.

Just as the two broke away, the dinner bell rang. Shinon startled and Gatrie gave a light chuckle. The blonde knight stood and brought the sniper with him. Laying him on the cot, he slowly kissed the man again.

"I'll go get you something to eat."

With one last look at the flushed face framed by beautiful red hair, Gatrie slipped out of the tent.

The rest of the camp was headed towards the mess as well and Gatrie followed them towards the smell of food. His stomach was in knots and he felt as If he had just come out of battle, adrenaline coursing through him. He never noticed the looks he was given as he stacked a plate high and then left the mess as quickly as he had come in.

When Gatrie re-entered his tent, he soon noticed that Shinon had fallen asleep again. Smiling, he set the plate of food away for when his friend woke up. He, himself, didn't even think of eating. Gatrie thought of leaving the man to rest, and maybe read outside, but then an idea struck him.

If this was the day to be brash, then he would go all out with it. Gatrie gently picked up the cot that still had his slim sniper on it, and moved it carefully towards the back of the tent near the small fire that he was allowed to keep. The knight then fastened the tent flap securely against any breeze, and then made his way over to the fire. Stoking it and adding to it, he soon felt the warmth radiate through him.

Then, biting his lip, he removed his shirt and gently scooped the sleeping redhead into his arms. He maneuvered them so that he lay on the cot and Shinon lay on top of him. The redhead shifted but ended up just holding onto the knight more tightly. Soon Gatrie sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of the man on top of him. Shinon's legs lay on either side of his waist and his cheek pressed against the blonde's bare chest. Red hair covered them both. Gatrie pulled the blanket up over Shinon's shoulders and began to thread his fingers through the sniper's hair, drifting off with a smile on his face. The day could not get any better.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Review...? :)**

**~PP**


End file.
